Patrol

2004 Line-of-Duty Death Toll: 154

December 30, 2004

A total of 154 law enforcement officers died while on the job in 2004, according to statistics compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and Concerns of Police Survivors from reports until Dec. 24.

Nearly half of the deaths resulted from traffic-related accidents, while one-third died from shootings.

“Better driver training, safer automobiles, and the increased use of bullet-resistant vets and less-lethal weapons are just some of the measures that must be taken to help prevent our officers from being killed while preserving public safety, said Craig W. Floyd, chairman of the NLEOMF.

A former police officer—now an elected official with the Missouri House of Representatives—wants to force any city with a population of 5,000 or fewer inhabitants, with an area of less than two square miles, to disband its police department and contract for law enforcement services with either the county police department or a larger neighboring city.